Patriots' Bill Belichick Had 'Very Honest' Talk with Josh Uche Amid NFL Trade Rumors

The New England Patriots are struggling this season, so it wasn't a surprise when other teams buzzed around their players, seeing who they might pry from the team ahead of the trade deadline.

One of them was outside linebacker Josh Uche, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. He told ESPN's Mike Reiss that head coach Bill Belichick communicated with him through that process:

"It was an interesting situation. It was the first time I really had some open, transparent dialogue with Bill. He was very honest. He kept things very real with me."

"He told me they want me here. He told me teams that were interested, and things like that. We had that discussion and I was kept in the loop the whole time, knew what was going on. It was smooth. So I guess on the outside it can seem like chaotic, but I feel like Bill did a great job, at least with me, communicating what was going on."

Uche, 25, has battled through knee and ankle injuries, registering just six tackles and two sacks in eight games after posting 11.5 sacks last year in his breakout campaign. But he told Reiss he wants to remain in New England.

"I want to be here. From my conversations with [Belichick], they want me here," he said. "It's just all about making sure all the pieces fit together, and sometimes it's out of our control, and then sometimes it just takes time."